This invention pertains to a refrigerator having a partition separating a fresh food compartment from a freezer compartment in which it is desired to be able to vary the volume ratio of the freezer and fresh food compartments. Typically this might be desirable when a special purchase of frozen food is made and it becomes necessary to expand temporarily the size of the freezer compartment to hold the increased volume load. Numerous arrangements exist in the prior art to accomplish this result.
One example of such prior art arrangement is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,027,732--L. J. Mann et al, wherein there is shown a top mount refrigerator with a removable partition that can be inserted at any of a variety of selected positions to increase or decrease the size of the freezer compartment. This arrangement necessitates the removal of the food from the freezer compartment in order to effect the transition. In addition, a single door is employed thus having the disadvantage that both compartments are exposed to ambient environment any time access to either one of the compartments is desired. U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,578--Armstrong illustrates a side-by-side refrigerator in which the vertical partition can be pivoted to vary the size of the freezer compartment. This arrangement, however, requires the use of sectional doors for selected access to the desired compartment and also requires the use of special mullion gaskets to maintain proper air seals independent of the compartment configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,766--Smith illustrates an embodiment in which a small freezer compartment within a refrigerator employs horizontally telescoping side walls to expand the freezer compartment size. U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,782--Antico is exemplary of a construction in which a removable partition is employed to provide a third section at an intermediate temperature, the partition being movable essentially as in Mann et al above to increase the effective size of freezer compartment.
There is not shown in this prior art and there is therefore a need for a convenient arrangement for varying the size of the freezer compartment of a modern refrigerator in which the freezer compartment occupies the full front to back space of the refrigerator and is separated from the fresh food compartment by a non-removable partition without requiring a special door and gasket construction and which size variation can be accomplished without the need to remove the contents of the freezer.